Andy Murray: Big rivals with Federer, Djokovic, Nadal & more | The ATP Tour

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Andy Murray: Great rivals with Federer, Djokovic, Nadal and others

Looking back at Murray’s memorable Lexus ATP Head2Head series

July 28, 2024

Throughout his illustrious career, Andy Murray grew from a Scottish superstar, to an ever-present, flamboyant veteran and legend of the ATP Tour. During that time, the 37-year-old established all kinds of Lexus ATP Head2Head competitors – some with older rivals, some with younger foes, and many with his contemporaries.

Murray’s biggest rivals were undoubtedly his fellow members of the Big 4: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Murray has met each star at least 24 times, including 36 meetings with Djokovic.

ATPTour.com looks back at the history of those matchups and another key series, against Stan Wawrinka, that shaped the story of Murray’s competitive career.

Murray vs. Djokovic (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 11-25)
Murray and Djokovic are literally the same age, with Murray a week older than the Serbian. Their longest-running rivalry erupted at the ATP Masters 1000 level, where nine of their first 10 Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings took place (including the first seven from 2006-09).

Murray lost their first four matches but then won the first two of what would become the last 19 meetings between the pair, winning in Cincinnati and Miami before Djokovic won their first Grand Slam match in the 2011 Australian Open final.

While Djokovic has enjoyed the most success in the competition, Murray has won three straight since 2008-09 (including finals in Cincinnati and Miami) and two in a row in 2012: an Olympic semifinal en route to a gold medal in London, followed by a final in A five-set US Open earned him his first major title. These are the only two sets in which the Briton has won back-to-back matches against Djokovic.

Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic”>
Murray defeated Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title in 2013. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.

The two most important match victories of Murray’s career came against Djokovic, whom he defeated to claim his first Wimbledon title in 2013 and in the championship match at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals (then known as the ATP World Tour Finals). The latter, played in London, was a straight shootout for the year-end No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“A very important day,” Murray said after a 6-3, 6-4 victory in the 2016 season finale ended the year on a 24-match winning streak. “It was a tough competition [with Djokovic]. I’ve lost to a lot of them but obviously I’m happy that I got a win today. Finishing year No. 1 is very important. It’s something I didn’t expect.”

The pair met five times in 2016, in the finals, Murray also won in Rome but Djokovic took titles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Madrid.

Murray and Djokovic are one of only two players on the ATP Tour to have reached a final in each of the four majors (with Djokovic and Nadal). The Serbian has an 8-2 record against Murray at Slams, including a 5-2 mark in grand finals.

Djokovic is also 11-8 in tour-level finals and 14-6 in ATP Masters 1000s. But he didn’t beat Murray on the grass, where the Briton was 2-0.

Their rivalry has always been based on mutual respect, evidenced by their participation in the men’s doubles at the 2006 Australian Open when they were both 19 years old.

Murray vs. Federer (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 11-14)
Murray led Federer in most of their matches, until the Swiss won their last five meetings to finish on top. Murray owns a 6-3 edge in ATP Masters 1000s, including back-to-back wins in the 2010 finals in Toronto and Shanghai, while Federer owns a 5-1 record in majors.

Roger Federer, Andy Murray”.
Murray defeated Federer in the final of the 2010 Rolex Shanghai Masters. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.

Murray’s Grand Slam frustration against the Swiss came to a head in the 2012 Wimbledon final, when he lost in four sets despite a strong start at home. “I’m getting closer,” he said through tears during the trophy ceremony, words that could prove useful in his bid to beat Federer in the majors as the Briton seeks to win his home Grand Slam. Until then, Murray was 0-3 against the Swiss at Slams, with each meeting going into the title round.

But one month later, back on Center Court, Murray dominated Federer in straight sets to win the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

“It’s number one for me, the biggest win of my life,” said Murray. “I’ve had the hardest loss in my career and this is the best way to come back to the Wimbledon final.”

The confidence from that victory helped the Briton cross the line at the All England Club the following year, when he defeated Djokovic to become the first British man to win the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray and Federer have also met five times at the Nitto ATP Finals, with Murray claiming a three-set comeback win in 2008 before Federer swept their meetings in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014. All but one of those year-end meetings came at the round-robin stage, with their 2012 semi-final in London the exception.

Since the end of the 2009 season, seven of the last 16 games have been played in London.

Murray vs. Nadal (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 7-17)
Murray lost his first five meetings with Nadal but broke the deadlock in the semi-finals of the 2008 US Open to reach his first Grand Slam final. Despite trailing in the Lexus ATP Head2Head, Murray is 3-1 in tour-level finals against Nadal, claiming wins in Rotterdam (2009), Tokyo (2011) and Madrid (2015).

Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal”>
Murray and Nadal after their 2009 Rotterdam title match. Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images.

The rivalry culminated in 2011 with five meetings at some of the ATP Tour’s biggest stages. Nadal won the first four – the semi-finals at Monte-Carlo, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open – before Murray flipped the script in the final in Tokyo.

Nadal has an 8-3 edge in ATP Masters 1000s and a 7-2 advantage in majors. The two played one five-set match: their first meeting at the 2007 Australian Open, where Nadal won from two sets to one down. The Spaniard is also 2-0 against Murray at the Nitto ATP Finals, with a semi-final win in 2010 and a surprise victory in 2015.

Their 2010 year-end meeting was one of their 24 wins, with Nadal winning 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6). After three hours, 11 minutes of incredible form in London, Nadal recovered from a 1/4 deficit in the final break to advance to the title match.

“It was a great game,” Murray said, his head held high in defeat. “Today is why I play tennis. I probably played one bad game the whole match, or maybe just a few bad points. Whether it was the best game I played, I lost, I don’t know.”

Murray vs. Wawrinka (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 13-10)
Both three-time Grand Slam champions, Murray and Wawrinka are only two years apart in age, while the Swiss is 26 months older. The pair’s rivalry spanned 20 years on the ATP Tour, from 2005-24.

Their clashes often feature contrasting styles, with Wawrinka’s aggressive shooting and sheer power versus Murray’s tactical precision and defensive prowess. These unique modes added an interesting twist to their encounter, an engaging narrative in all of the game’s major stages.

Stan Wawrinka, Andy Murray”.
Murray and Wawrinka meet for the last time at Roland Garros in 2024. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.

Murray has only won two finals against Wawrinka, one at the start of their tournament (Doha 2008) and one at the end (Antwerp 2019). The Antwerp title was the Briton’s last on the ATP Tour, coming after he underwent hip replacement surgery.

“It means a lot,” Murray said. “The last few years have been very difficult. Stan and I have had a lot of injury problems in the last few years. It’s amazing to be back playing with him in a final like that.”

The contemporaries have met at every Grand Slam but the Australian Open, with Wawrinka holding a 5-3 record in Slams. They split their top two matches in consecutive Roland Garros semifinals in 2016 and 2017. It’s been a 3-3 split in the ATP Masters 1000s, with four of those matchups going three sets.

In 2023, their rivalry extended to the ATP Challenger Tour, where Wawrinka defeated Murray in the first meeting between the former Grand Slam champions in over 40 years.